


The Legend of Nib Noom

by moonbininja



Category: ASTRO (Band)
Genre: Humor, Legends, NIB NOOM, NIJ NIJ, OOW NUE, ORTSA, Origin Myths, Origin Story, Plot Twists, ortsa forced astro to become school teachers, somehow there ended up being two stories going on, you'd think there'd be more nib noom in this but just you wait
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-26
Updated: 2017-09-11
Packaged: 2018-12-20 01:15:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11910168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonbininja/pseuds/moonbininja
Summary: Every hero (or villain) has an origin story. This is the real story of how Nib Noom came to be (as told by ASTRO members who ended up working at a school).Note: Unless you know about the Nib Noom joke, then this fic won't make any sense at all.





	1. Story Time

"Alright class! Please take your seats and clear your desks! I need your full attention today."

The students groaned as they reluctantly followed the instructions, but within moments all eyes were on their seonsaengnim.

"As you are all well aware, today is the last day of class before your summer holiday." Seonsaengnim began to pace at the front of the room.

"You have already completed your exams and so there is essentially no reason for you to be here today. Since it would be unwise of me to begin a new unit when you will most likely forget everything over the break—" He stopped pacing and looked up at the class.

"TODAY IS YOUR LUCKY DAY!" He practically shouted, with a goofy grin emerging from his face.

The class jumped at this sudden show of enthusiasm from their seongsaengnim, who proceeded to leap onto his desk.

"Today I'm going to tell you story!"

The students groaned again and some even slammed their heads on their desks. This seongsaengnim somehow always managed to fit in wild stories at the worst times.

"Oh come now! This is the best story yet! That's why I saved it for this very special day!"

This wasn't the first time this had happened. Every story was the "best one yet".

"Lend me your ears and imagination!" He spoke in a theatrical way as he strode over to the windows to close the curtains, darkening the room for the sake of suspense.

He then turned on the small lamp on his desk and pointed it at his own face, because storytelling was obviously much more effective with dramatic lighting.

Some students settled in for a good nap while a few others looked up tiredly to attempt listening.

Seongsaengnim began. 

"Once upon a time—" more heads slammed down on desks, causing an interruption that required starting the story again.

"Once upon a time in the ancient days of Korea, there lived a mystical-like warrior whose charisma could make anyone fall to their knees. He was different than everyone else. Fighting battles alone, he defeated countless enemy mercenaries from other regions without any weapons! No one was sure how he did it, but only that he always returned from battle victorious! He never wore armor nor even a tunic! The bare-chested warrior had an intense aura about him. Even though some feared him, they were thankful to him for saving their villages.

His name," paused seongsaengnim for dramatic effect, "was Nib Noom."

Suddenly lightning cracked and thunder roared outside the window. It had mysteriously started to rain since class started.

"Nib Noom was known throughout all of the land. Children grew up with their parents telling them stories about the warrior saving their villages. The strangest thing was that Nib Noom never appeared to age. Many suspected he had gained immortality as a gift for all of his good deeds. He was a noble hero. An icon! A legend! Regardless of his wild appearance and sometimes cocky demeanor, people loved him because of his kindness. He fought for the common man. This continued on for several generations.

However, this glorified reputation would not last. After many years, Nib Noom began to feel restless. For so long he had dedicated his life to saving villages and fighting enemies, not once taking any time off for himself. So one day he made a decision to change his lifestyle to one of self-pleasure: a decision that would reroute the course of history and bring a curse upon the former warrior.

Nib's self-pleasure came from many activities, some of which I dare not mention in this classroom or else lose my job, but let's just say he was a bit too extreme. He became self-absorbed to the point where his own reflection was all he valued. He trained himself more and more to thicken his muscles, and continued to strut about without a tunic. Many young people in the town looked at him with greedy eyes, while older people looked upon him with disgust. 

As the years went by, his mind began to wither away. He was merely a shell of the man and hero he once was. Selfishness and egotism had destroyed him. And so, Nib Noom brought upon himself a terrible curse. He was doomed to float through the ages as a ghost until he would regain a noble attitude once more. For that, he would have to wait until a noble-hearted descendant grew to become an adult. Only then would the former warrior be able to rise back to his former glory."

Seongsaengnim stopped. By now all of the students were leaning forward in their seats, mesmerized by the story they originally dreaded. 

With a sly grin he asked the class, "Do you all want to hear the rest?" 

They all nodded eagerly. 

"Well you all can have a 10 minute break! This is a long story and I’m parched already."

A large water bottle appeared from behind the desk and he began to chug it down as the students began to mill about the room, chatting eagerly about Nib Noom.

Seongsaengnim pulled his phone out from under the desk so the class wouldn’t see. There were several notifications but only one was important.

**From: cutie bean  
can i drop by ur classroom later**

**To: cutie bean  
Why? I'm kind of in the middle of something.**

**From: cutie bean  
if its another one of ur stories…**

**To: cutie bean  
It is actually. It’s about a certain SOMEONE  <.<**

**From: cutie bean  
r u srsly still not over the nib noom thing**

**To: cutie bean  
Of course I’m not! He ruined my career! Yours too!**

**From: cutie bean  
* sigh * **

**To: cutie bean  
Don’t you sigh at me young man!**

**From: cutie bean  
u might b older than me but ur not THAT old gosh chill**

**To: cutie bean  
There is no chill there is only the war!**

**From: cutie bean  
what war??**

**To: cutie bean  
THE WAR OF ORTSA!!!!!!**

**From: cutie bean  
wth hyung**

**To: cutie bean  
Why don’t you stop by my classroom later then? Come and hear the real story!**

**From: cutie bean  
i was going 2 come anyway but i guess now i have no choice but 2 come n stop ur nonsense  >.<**

**To: cutie bean  
I’ll be waiting. Muahahahaha!**

Seongsaengnim looked up from his phone to find the entire class staring at him. 

"What?"

"Seongsaengnim…you were reading your texts out loud." A student said hesitantly.

"Then consider that your sneak preview! Return to your seats and I’ll continue the story!"

~TO BE CONTINUED~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who doesn’t know about the Nib Noom joke these days? It started with a simple tweet and spread so much that even Koreaboo wrote an article about it. There’s even a Nib Noom roleplay account [@Nib_Noom](https://twitter.com/nib_noom) please follow him ;) I decided to write this story to expand upon the idea and give everyone a good laugh. I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you think by writing comments and leaving kudos ^_^ or hit me up on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/moonbininja). I will keep writing chapters until I run out of ideas. No promises on when there will be updates though, as I am a busy college student. Thanks for reading!


	2. The Story Continues

Reclining in his fancy office chair, the school’s principal sighed, exhausted already. There were still a few hours left of the day but he was ready for summer vacation. He began daydreaming about the great time he was going to have with— _BEEP!_ His phone lit up suddenly.

**From: slow mouse  
ur favorite teacher isnt teaching again**

**To: slow mouse  
Remind me again why I hired you idiots to work at my school.**

**From: slow mouse  
bcus were ur friends  & u love us so much ?**

**To: slow mouse  
That doesn’t give you a free pass to not do your job. You’ll make me look bad! **

**From: slow mouse**  
**i know i know thats y im going down there 2 stop him**  
**i let my students out early**

**To: slow mouse  
You what?! Ah, nevermind. Just go stop him. Do I even want to know what it is that he’s "not teaching"?**

**From: slow mouse  
its...u know what**

**To: slow mouse**  
**…**  
**Stop him. Do whatever it takes.**

Meanwhile back in the classroom, the teacher in question had turned his desk lamp to his face again, bringing back the dramatic storytelling atmosphere.

"As I said before, Nib Noom was now cursed. However it took him some time to realize this. One day as he wandered down the road in frustration after being rejected by a maiden (the red handprint on his cheek wouldn’t be going away anytime soon), he realized that the town had disappeared and he was now walking through a dense forest. There was no longer a path beneath his feet. He turned around in all directions but there was nothing but trees. It was dark too, the sunlight blocked by the interwoven branches above his head. 

As he continued walking he found a rhythm in his steps. As the hours became days and the days became weeks, Nib noticed that the environment around him was growing darker and darker. Not only that, but he was becoming more and more frustrated. He was so bored. There was nothing to do but walk and hope that he'd eventually return to civilization. How long would this continue? 

He finally stopped and sat on the ground. Pouting, he figured maybe someone would come and look for him. Or not. Who would go looking for someone who gave up saving villages for personal pleasure? He had been a jerk, after all. 

Suddenly there was the sound of a snapping tree branch. Nib leapt up and took on a battle stance, ready to fight whoever dared to interrupt his pity party. 

But no one came. 

He resumed walking, this time finding himself caught in a very narrow row of trees. Soon everything around him began to close in, and he found himself clawing through darkness.

Then, he was falling. 

Falling down a deep pitch black hole that never seemed to end. The air was chilly and Nib began to wonder if this was what death felt like. 

Finally after what felt like forever, he was blinded by an explosion of bright white light. He landed on a cold, flat floor. Surprisingly, he was uninjured from the fall. He stood up and saw that he was in a strange square-shaped room. Above him was a flat ceiling with no sign of the hole he had fallen through. The only interesting thing in the room was a single doorway on the wall he was facing. As he took a step toward it, the door opened. 

Out stepped a small figure wearing a black robe with a long hood that obscured his face from view. He shuffled up to Nib and bowed slightly. 

"You must be wondering where you are, young warrior." He said in a deep, husky voice.

Nib responded with a hint of annoyance. "I am. I've been wandering for weeks merely to end up in this strange place. What is the meaning of this banishment?"

The hooded figure replied. "Not a banishment, Mr. Noom, but a curse. When you ceased being a noble hero and committed selfish deeds instead, your gift of immortality became a prison sentence. This room you are standing in is the entrance to the Portal of Time. Starting today you will begin your journey through time, as part of your punishment."

Nib wasn't pleased to hear this. "What can be done about this curse then? Can I not redeem myself to end whatever punishment I am to endure?"

"Your punishment serves two purposes," the hooded stranger said. "One purpose is to give you plenty of time to think about what you've done, and perhaps build some character. The other purpose is to end your suffering by restoring your status as a noble hero, however your immortality will end once you do so. Neither of these things can be avoided. This is your fate, Nib Noom."

The short figure took Nib's arm and guided him to the doorway. "Through this door is the Portal of Time. Once you enter it, you cannot escape. Unless!"

"U-unless?" Nib stammered.

"Unless you find a descendant who has the potential to become a noble hero. If so, you may possess him. He will become a host for you, but you will have no control over his thoughts or actions until he comes of age. Then you will become a noble hero once more through him, and once that has been achieved, you will cease to have conscious thought and will die with the host. That is how your curse will end." The hooded figure sounded somber.

Nib was becoming angry. "So if I become a good person again my reward is that I get to live a mortal life and die?"

"Ah but it is not a reward. It is merely how your punishment will come o an end. If you'd like to float through space forever without conscious thought I could arrange that instead."

"No!" Nib cried. "I mean...I guess at least I'd be back in the real world again, even if it's for a short time. I...will accept this journey."

"Good choice, Mr. Noom." The figure reached out and opened the door. Beyond it was a sparkling void of endlessness. "Once you walk through this door, you will float along through time as it happens. You will be able to see glimpses into the world through Time Windows that you will see. This is how you will find your descendant. They may show up at any moment, so you must be on the lookout for someone who has the potenial to become a noble hero."

"I understand." Nib said. "But can I ask how it is that I can have descendants when I will be trapped in this time tunnel and be unable to live out my own life or settle down?"

"Mr. Noom...you already have many descendants on the way as we speak. Surely you know of your own reckless actions?" The hooded figure sighed. "You need to get going soon. Any other questions?"

Nib was still shook at the mysterious person's answer. He was staring at the ground whispering to himself. "I'm a father already? And I didn't even know?"

"NIB NOOM!" 

"Ah! Y-yes?"

"Anything else you'd like to ask me before you begin your journey?" 

"Oh. Uh..." Nib thought about it for a moment. "Who are you and is this the only time I will encounter you?" 

"A great question. Indeed we shall meet again one day, and that is when my name and face shall be made known to you. However you will not be able to recognize me. If you think you've figured out who I am, mention the Portal of Time to me and I will reveal myself."

"But—"

"No buts! And no more questions! Have a nice journey Mr. Noom!" 

The hooded man leaped behind Nib and pushed him through the doorway and into the—" the storytelling teacher was interrupted by a loud pounding at the classroom door.

"AH YAH!" He yelled at the disturbance. Leaping up from his desk chair, he flipped on the light switch and swung the door open.

A figure was standing there hiding behind a clipboard, no doubt bracing for the impact of the teacher’s rage.

"Coach Park!"

The figure slowly lowered his clipboard, meeting the startled eyes of the students and the glaring eyes of the teacher.

"Kim Seongsaengnim…I hope I’m not…interrupting anything?" He said with both hesitance and a hint of sarcasm.

"You know exactly what you interrupted!" Teacher Kim fired back. "Give me one reason why I should let you inside of my classroom!"

"Come on Myungjun—"

"I told you never to call me by name when we’re at work!"

"GOSH you are such a drama queen!" Coach Park complained.

The students broke out into giggles and snickers, hiding their expressions behind their hands.

"Oh you all be quiet!" Teacher Kim said, pushing Coach Park into the hallway and closing the classroom door.

"Jinwoo."

"Myungjun?"

"Don’t get me fired!"

"If anyone is getting you fired it’s yourself—" Coach Park started to say as Teacher Kim suddenly opened the door and shoved him into the classroom and guided him to an empty seat.

"Alright class, we will now continue! Any objections?" Teacher Kim said with a forced smile, clearly annoyed.

A student raised their hand. "Seongsaengnim…why is Coach Park here?"

"That’s a great question! You can talk to him when class is over and ask him yourself." He glared at Coach Park, who was shrinking down into his seat.

Teacher Kim turned off the lights once more and resumed the storyteller desk lamp position.

"You all thought this story would be over by now, didn’t you? Well guess what? THERE’S MORE! MUAHAHAHA!"

Lighting cracked outside the window again. What an interesting day for a storm and a story.

~TO BE CONTINUED~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the saga of Nib Noom/"ASTRO as school teachers" continues! The teacher’s identity was too obvious I’m sorry I wanted to make things mysterious but it’s hard >.< I hope you all still find this entertaining! I’ll keep writing it as long as people are enjoying it, though I am also using this fic to like learn how to write haha. I’m honestly not sure how I came up with the school setting idea but I hope you find it funny! I hope the Nib Noom mythology is interesting to you as well. Once again, please follow [Nib Noom](https://twitter.com/nib_noom) and let me know what you think of this story by writing comments (Please, I want to hear from you! Give me feedback and ideas!) and leaving kudos ^_^ or hit me up on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/moonbininja). Thanks for reading!


End file.
